The US Congress moved closer yesterday to ending a months-long stalemate and voting on legislation to provide billions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, despite bitter debate over the measure ahead of a weekend vote.
Members of the Republican-led House of Representatives Rules Committee spent hours debating the package of four bills: three providing the security aid and a fourth with measures including sanctions, a threat to ban the social media app TikTok and the potential transfer of seized Russian assets to Ukraine.
More than two months after the Democratic-led Senate approved a $95 billion package of security assistance for Ukraine, Israel and US partners in the Indo-Pacific, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday unveiled House bills providing the assistance.
Largely similar to the Senate measure, the House bills provide $61bn to address the conflict in Ukraine, including $23bn to replenish US weapons, stocks and facilities; $26bn for Israel, including $9.1bn for humanitarian needs, and $8.12bn for the Indo-Pacific.
Johnson said the chamber would vote as soon as tomorrow, despite fierce objections from the right wing of his conference. That resistance likely means the bills will need Democratic support to pass, as Republicans control only a slim 218-to-213 majority.
Donald Trump yesterday said the survival of Ukraine is important to the US, a shift in tone days before the US House of Representatives is due to vote on the aid package.
The former president did not endorse the package, and he dedicated most of his post on his Truth Social platform to complaining that America’s European allies are not spending enough to support Ukraine. Some hard-right Republicans interpreted the post as a signal that he opposes the current aid package, though Trump did not say that explicitly.
The hardline House Freedom Caucus came out against the security package yesterday. And one Republican Rules committee member, hardline Representative Ralph Norman, said he would be a “no,” suggesting that Ukraine aid be used as “leverage” to win tougher controls on immigration policy opposed by Democrats.
But other legislators predicted the bills would become law.
The Senate passed its security assistance package in February with strong 70 per cent bipartisan support, from both Democrats and Republicans, after rejecting a bipartisan border security bill.
Ukraine warned foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major powers yesterday they had to change strategy if they wanted Kyiv to withstand increasingly destructive Russian air assaults.
G7 ministers meeting on the island of Capri acknowledged the need to get more air defence systems to Ukraine and applauded Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as he joined them on the second day of their three-day gathering.
The G7 comprises Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Britain, the US and European Union representatives.
Military aid to Kyiv has slowed in recent months, with European partners apparently running low on ammunition and US funding blocked by Republicans in Congress for months.
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